The Rosewill Helios RK-9200 keyboard offers a mix of gamer-friendly features with a design that keeps things simple and doesn't get in your way.

Competitive gamers are always on the lookout for accessories that not only allow them to be better and faster, but also allow them to do more. Accordingly, gaming peripheral makers often try to cram as many features into each product as they can get away with, but the result is often an overwhelmingly complex feature set that is rarely taken advantage of. For those looking for a well-built gaming keyboard that eschews the more-is-better mindset, the Rosewill Helios RK-9200 offers a mix of gamer-friendly features with a design that keeps things simple and doesn't get in your way.

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Design and Features
At first glance, the Helios RK-9200 is a standard mechanical keyboard, about the same size (1.7 by 17.25 by 5.3 inches) as another Rosewill keyboard, the Rosewill RK-9000I. Both have a fairly simple design, with a standard keyboard layout. It's not as heavy, howeverthe Helios RK-9200 only weighs 2.5 pounds, while the steel-reinforced Rosewill RK-9000I was more than a pound heavier (3.6 pounds).

Thanks to Cherry MX Black mechanical switches, typing on the Rosewill RK-9200 might be one of the smoothest typing experiences I've ever had. The keyboard is offered with four different switches available (Black, Red, Blue, and Brown), and all of the durability that those switches offer, with each key rated for up to 50,000,000 clicks. And it's not just some of the keys, but all 104 buttons that get the mechanical switches, unlike the Editors' Choice Corsair Vengeance K90, which used both mechanical and dome switches.

The Cherry MX Black mechanical switches used in this model are smooth, with very little noise, but still offer sufficient feedback for typists used to the clickity-clack of other mechanical keyboards. Naturally, the small differences between the four types of key switches will appeal to different users for different reasons. If possible, try out a number of mechanical keyboards and switches to get a feel for what you prefer.

The backlight is the highlight of the keyboard, glowing either red or green, with individually backlit keys. This adds visibility in low light circumstances, such as a darkened gaming lair. It's not as brilliant green as the backlight on the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2013 Elite, but that's a good thing. The backlight enhances visibility, but won't distract you during a game or give you a migraine over an hour or two of use.

For even more gaming usefulness, the Helios RK-9200 offers dual-zone lightingsimilar to that seen on the Logitech G710+highlighting the WASD and Arrow keys separately, with color swapping at the touch of a button. The lighting controls are found on the F9-F12 buttons, allowing you to activate WASD lighting, swap the red and yellow color zones, cycle through various lighting modes, and adjust the brightness.

Really, my only gripe with the lighting is that the brightness adjustment isn't very granular. You can select from only two brightness levels, with no option to fine tune it. Additionally, while some of the keys have die cut secondary symbols, such as the @ symbol, or functions on the F1-12 keys, none of them light up.

Beyond the mechanical switches and dual-zone backlighting, the Helios RK-9200 has anti-ghosting with 12-key rollover, letting you pound out commands and combinations as fiercely as you can. While the Helios RK-9200 doesn't offer any sort programmable functionality, you'll still get a few additional functions, like media controls and 14 function keys, including backlight functions. Rosewill also covers the Helios RK-9200 with a one-year warranty.

Performance
I used the Helios RK-9200 for several days, both during the writing of this review, and for other tasks (both gaming and day-to-day). In day to day work, the Helios RK-9200 functions perfectly, with a smooth typing feel, responsive mechanical keys, and a standard layout that should make any typist feel at home. The backlight serves typists and office workers just as well as it does gamers, making this a good keyboard for all around desktop use.

In game, however, the Helios RK-9200 was at its best. The dual zone lighting makes it a snap to find your directional controls and stay oriented throughout the game. The red and green backlight can be switched up, for all red, all green (admittedly, the green looks very yellow), or green with red gaming keys or red with green gaming keys. The variation that works best for you will vary by personal preference, but I found the green with red gaming keys to be ideal. The 12-key rollover meant that I never had a problem with missed keystrokes or laggy commands, and the springy key switches had me flying along about as fast as I can go.

While there are plenty of gaming keyboards out there with more features and customization, the Rosewill Helios RK-9200 strikes a good balance between gamer-friendly design and Spartan simplicity. It's not as barebones as the Rosewill RK-9000I, but not as complex as the Editors' Choice Corsair Vengeance K90, making it a great choice for gamers who want a competition-grade keyboard without all the bells and whistles.

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About the Author

Brian Westover is an Analyst for the Hardware Team, reviewing laptops, desktops, and storage devices.
As a child, Brian was frequently asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" His answer alternated between Superman and Batman. This was cute when he was five, but worrisome at seventeen. Naturally, he is now a journalist, writing about tec... See Full Bio

Rosewill Helios RK-9200

Rosewill Helios RK-9200

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